


darkness will be rewritten

by unearth



Category: The Get Down (TV)
Genre: A little, Comfort, Fat Annie can choke, Gen, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 09:28:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10694196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unearth/pseuds/unearth
Summary: Napoleon has a nightmare.





	darkness will be rewritten

Shao’s heard it happen more than once. The soft mumbles turning into screams, the panting and then the sudden silence. Napoleon’s just a kid, but he’s seen some shit. _That_ he’s sure of. You can’t be with the Savage Warlords and _not_ see some shit.

He’s a good one. He has a genuine interest in music and spinning records, and he’s a hell of a record boy, something Shao never would have guessed. He can see the way Napoleon stares at his quick hands in awe, following along the best he can and trying to soak it all in when they’re practicing. He probably looked the same way when he was with Grandmaster Flash.

He’s a good one, and that’s why it tugs at his chest when he hears him at night.

It’s the third time he’s heard him wake up from a nightmare in the span of a week when he finally checks on him. It used to happen a lot last summer. It stopped for a while, and now it’s back, for whatever reason. He’s not good with words, not like Books. He’s not good with emotional fucking talks, not good with _anything,_ he doesn’t think. And, really, it isn’t his fault. He was never around good people. That’s not his fault.

Napoleon sleeps near the window, on the couch that he’s piled with pillows and blankets. The kid fucking hogs nearly their entire collection, but he doesn’t really mind. It’s not like he’s getting much sleep these days, not after _I never ever should have trusted you._

When he gets closer to the couch, he can hear him. Soft whimpers that disappear in the darkness, almost too quiet to hear.

“Hey, little man?”

There’s a gasp and then pillows are falling off the couch in multiple directions. Napoleon sits up, wiping the tears from his eyes with both of his shaking hands. Fuck, it makes Shao’s chest ache. No kid should ever feel this way. No kid should feel scared, be in these fucked up situations.

When he was sixteen, he had a nightmare about his Ma. Annie had come in—

No kid should ever feel this way.

“Hey, little man. It’s okay.”

Shao doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing. He doesn’t know what he’s going to say. All he knows is that he isn’t gonna let him suffer by himself.

Napoleon’s eyes are shining in the darkness. Shao can see the streaks of tears stained on his cheeks, sees the way he’s shivering in the blanket that’s wrapped around his shoulders. “Sorry.”

“Nah,” Shao says easily, nodding towards the edge of the couch. “Can I sit?”

Napoleon just nods, no words getting past his quivering lips.

Shao sits, mind racing. Maybe he can just sit here, stay with him until he calms down. He looks over at him, letting out a deep breath. He’s just sitting there all folded in on himself, staring at the ground with these tired eyes. He can’t _not_ say anything. “You okay?”

Another intake of breath. Napoleon leans against the arm of the couch, blinking. “I…I just have these dreams once in awhile. My brothers—ever since the whole thing with Cadillac. I…”

“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t gotta talk about it. That shit was fucked up.” Shao leans back, rests his head on one of the pillows. He takes a few deep breaths, wonders where to start. “Look…”

God, he’s gonna sound so fucking stupid. Or soft. Both, probably. He’s never been the one to comfort someone.

“You don’t gotta be scared, alright? I know you still have your enemies, people still looking for you and all that shit. But you stick with me? I got you, little man.”

Napoleon nods slowly, hugging a pillow closer to his chest. He seems to consider the words for a few seconds. “Thank you, Shao.”

Shao just crosses his legs, leans further into the couch. The poor kid looks exhausted, even when he can barely see him in this dark ass room. “I can stay right here, man, until you go back to sleep. You look tired as hell.”

There’s a laugh, and Shao smiles at the sound. Finally, he thinks, this punk seems to be okay.

With a tired sigh, Napoleon curls back into a comfortable position. Shao leans towards the ground and picks up one of the blankets that fell when he first came in, covering the kid with it. It feels odd, caring for someone like this. But he does care.

After awhile, Napoleon’s breathing slows. Then there’s snoring. Shao can’t help but laugh quietly, carefully bringing himself off the couch. He looks down at the kid’s face, happy he looks peaceful instead of what he saw earlier.

He doesn’t think when he reaches down and ruffles Napoleon’s hair, something his Ma used to do at bedtime.

**Author's Note:**

> i have a lot of feelings about this..... stephen said napoleon stays with shao so he's officially adopted. also annie can choke!!!!


End file.
